Damned
by chippawabrike
Summary: Kira is alone in an unknown jungle. The Strike Freedom has disappeared, Durandal is dead, Lacus is missing and the jungle is weaving the stuff of nightmares. Will Kira be able to find his true love? Reunite with the Freedom? Read on to find out...
1. Damn

Damn:

The gun was hot in his hand. Everything was hot. The leaves seemed to cling damply to the trees and the clouds hung in the sky hoping for a breeze. Almost as much as he wanted one. He undid his helmet and threw it to the ground, involuntarily crying out at the pain in his neck. He threw his glove off and brought his hand to his neck. His hand was covered in crimson.

"Damn it!"

He looked around. Where in the hell was the Strike Freedom? He was in no imminent danger, unless he feared crazed possums eating his flesh, so he holstered the gun. He heard running water. Leaping to his feet, he rushed in the direction of the sound. Yes! He knelt amongst the baking leaf-litter and drunk deeply from the lake. He sat back and began washing the blood from his neck.

"_Where the hell am I?"_ he thought.

"_You have to give it up! All you are doing is confusing everyone…and if you won't…I will have to kill you!" there was a ripping noise as he felt a blade sink into his GUNDAM from behind. What the…? He spiralled toward the earth. The intercom crackled, "Ki…get outta there…ira…hurry!" Lacus…?_

He looked up suddenly as he heard a splash. He saw…pink?

"LACUS!"

He threw his helmet, gloves and boots aside and threw himself into the water. He swam through the cool depths towards Lacus. Please let her be all right. He put in a burst of speed and finally reached her. He swam her back to the shore.

"Please, please, please, pl…." he checked her pulse with one hand, wiping the combination of sweat, tears and silt from his eyes with the other. His fingers brushed up against something at the back of her neck – a bullet hole and…blood.

Wait…this dress. This can't be Lacus, and the clip-it's a star. Meer Campbell.

"Damn it!"

He checked the wound again. She was very dead. But the blood was still flowing. Rolling the body away from him with his foot, he looked around, leapt into a tree and drew his pistol-as only a coordinator can.

"DAMN IT!"

A bullet whistled past his cheek as he wheeled around to position himself behind the tree's trunk. His eyes flashed as he jumped to the ground, rolling to avoid more bullets. He took a blind shot and was surprised to hear its victim crash to the ground in the forest. He ran quickly to his attacker, keeping the gun in front of him.

"Durandal?"

The man looked up at him. "Damn you Ki…" he sighed and shut his eyes.

The young man turned away. Why the hell am I killing all these people? And what the hell is the supreme Chairman of The Plants doing unprotected in this god-forsaken place? He kicked the ground in frustration. He looked up as he noticed someone standing in front of him. A little boy with long brown hair knotting around his face and big brown eyes full of fear.

"Hey", said the pilot, "are you lost?" he heard the man behind him stir and, fearing the worst he dodged, just in time. The bullet thudded into the arm of the boy.

"Damn it!" the young man cried, shooting Durandal in the chest. He ran to the boy who would have been no more then eleven. He knelt beside the child and cried, his hot tears splashing among the leaves on the ground, evaporating as soon as they had hit the earth. The boy watched him with big eyes. He didn't notice another person creep up behind him.

The butt of a gun rammed heavily into his head.


	2. Lights

HI fellow readers, writers and reviewers. This is the 2nd chapter in my story "Damned", and has taken a considerable amount of effort to finish, so I would very much appreciate a few more reviews! Some characters (so far Kaeda and Hisoka) are not mentioned in the original Gundam Seed or Gundam Seed Destiny, but are my original characters. I will try to make the time between updates shorter, but this will make the chapters also a little shorter.

Thank-you for your patience, and don't forget to review!

***DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN GUNDAM SEED OR ANY OF THE PRODUCTS ASSOCIATED WITH THE GUNDAM FRANCHISE**

**Lights:**

Lights sparkled and flashed behind his eyelids. Sabers danced and the barrels of many a gun whirred, clicked and cooled. It was vivid, colourful torment. It changed, but took him nowhere: there was no end. He couldn't help but feel he was doing something terrible, that somehow, he could escape this, and protect. Everyone, anyone! He tossed and turned until finally he was pulled from his slumber by the unrelenting sunlight.

He looked around, his eyes closing and opening, blinking and trying to set the room horizontal. The room? I don't have time for this he grumbled. He swung his legs over the side of his bed, looking back at where he had been laying. _Ha! Well that's amusing!_ He was staring at the clear outline of his body, painted perfectly in sweat and grime. He shook his head, the ghost of a smile pulling up the corner of his cracked and bloodied lips. _This'll mean people! If I'm in a room like this..._ He stood, sucking in air, when the wound on his neck pulled tight and split, oozing blood. Reaching up to stem the blood with his hand, he came into contact with gauze. Okay, so they're Christians. This should be fun. He wobbled across the floor, an ancient fan in the corner cheering for his departure. He leaned on the splintered doorframe, looking down onto the face of the little boy from earlier.

"Kaeda!" he squealed, "Kaeda, it's Kira! He's awake!"

Still looking at the boy, he heard the footsteps of 'Kaeda' as she entered the room. His violet eyes dragged his attention up to the new comer. She stood broad and tall, almost as tall as Kira. She looked covered in dirt and the used sunlight of a deep tan. She possessed proportionate facial features, apart from her eyes, which were huge and very green. A light blush tainted her cheeks. Oh I definitely DO NOT have time for this, he thought and made a beeline for the door. Dragging his body as if it were extra baggage he was unnecessarily lugging along with him on his journey. Then he realized: _I don't have a shirt._ He looked back up at the girl.

"Sh..shehhhh", He licked his lips, swallowed dryly, "shirt please?"

She lowered her gaze, spun around and strode off. Kira's eyes slid away from where she had been, as his head fell forward and he lowered himself down the doorframe to sit on the floor. He shut his eyes and exhaled. He heard the scrape of cloth on ground, and looked up to see the little boy sitting in front of him.

"It's really you! The genuine Kira Yamato! Ace pilot of the Strike Freedom!" The boy wriggled closer, his eyes shining in excitement, "the rogue aboard the infamous Archangel! I knew you'd come!"

"Hey…yeah, I suppose you're right. We—urrgh!" Kira winced and clutched his stomach. It felt like demons were boiling and stewing in his gut. The colours began to flash again, wilder and brighter and he reached out, but all he could grab was a double-crescent gold hairclip as he fell into the torture of the colours.

When he awoke, he was back on the bed. Kaeda was sitting next to him, knitting something that looked remarkably like a tasteless, bland turtleneck. _How has SHE managed to get me up onto this bed twice? I'm not exactly light… _His head was clanging and ringing like a gong, and he couldn't settle the demons inside him for a time. He began to sit up. She let him be.

"We're going down to the markets today. All three of us." Kaeda stated without looking up. "We need some supplies and you need the walk."

He nodded wearily and pulled the shirt lain beside him over his head. Kira stared down at the floor, where his feet were dangling loosely. He curled and un-curled his toes, sending shadows flying through the dusty sunbeams caused by the rusted window set in the wall. He chuckled. _Hehehe! I have functional toes at least! What am I without toes! I am much better off than I thought! _

Barefoot and scruffily dressed in the baggy clothing of an ORB refugee, he staggered to the door. Looking out onto the makeshift street, he saw the women and children hurrying goods in baskets and boxes out down the road and around a bend. He strained to see their end destination, but he couldn't. He turned back into the house and began shuffling, stumbling around the room, attempting to apply normality to his stride. He caught at the wall, using it to stabilize himself. Suddenly he felt a warm little entity in his hand. The little boy, Hisoka, was holding tightly on to Kira's hand.

"Come on Yamato-san! I believe in you!" His big brown eyes shone with trust and faith. "You've got this, I know you do!"

A single tear began to form in Kira's eye, but he never let it fall.


	3. Memory

Hey hey hey! It's me! Anyways, I am up and running again, Chapter 3 is now up. Please enjoy and give me some feedback, via review or email. Flames accepted. I'd like a little constructive criticism, if necessary. Thanks and read on.

***DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN GUNDAM SEED OR ANY OF THE PRODUCTS ASSOCIATED WITH THE GUNDAM FRANCHISE**

Memory.

_I righted my tux. I attempted to right my mind. Why I was attending a ball for the sake of a girl was beyond me. Actually, that is not a complete truth. I am nervous about the ball, and, well, what she's going to think of me. I blush. I am a lucky guy._

_My footsteps sound large and menacing along the walls of Cagalli's summerhouse. I hope for her sake that this Yuna guy isn't here. It feels like these corridors go on forever, and then suddenly, I am there. I look down onto the scene for the ball. It is beautiful. Wistful looking couples, starry eyed with romance, swirl around on the dance floor, wrapped in rich colours and happy dispositions. Single guests crowd around the tables and tables of food, stuffing their faces whilst discussing politics and the weather in their respective countries. I fiddle with my cuffs. I see Cagalli. There she is with Athrun, I guess I have no excuse for my absence now._

_I descend the staircase. I give a cursory nod to the occasional guest, and a stiff salute to those who surpass me in rank. I glance at my pocket watch. 7:30. I move towards a balcony and step outside. I am sweating now. I distract myself with thought. I wonder how the Strike Freedom is being treated. I wonder if my understudies' have broken into my room again. They are much too curious for their own good. I hear the subtle 'woosh' of the French doors behind me. I turn._

_There she is._

_My hands fall from where they were previously adjusting my tie for the umpteenth time. I can't believe that any one person can be so beautiful. For a time I forget myself and just stare, it's been too long. Her eyes are shining, and her cheeks are shaded a light pink. She's wearing the clip I gave her. My heart stops. And splutters to life, bringing with it a deep blush. My gaze drops. A perfect laugh escapes her lips. I return to my incessant fiddling. I feel so ridiculous. I hear the scrape of her dress across the balcony, and then she is in front of me. She holds my hands in hers and lays her head against my chest._

_I am in heaven._

_We dance._

_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx_

The red button flashed. Her weary eyes warded off sleep. With all the money that had been spent on GPS and other equipment, the nation of Zaft had as of yet been unable to find the missing team. She was here of her own volition, her vision smearing and blurring as exhaustion took hold. She had never been prepared for the very real of his….permanent departure. In her heart she knew he wasn't gone, but that didn't make the waiting any easier. The tears had not yet come; desperation had not yet sunk in.

A bar of light crawled up the wall before her. She turned, slowly. A fresh-faced, dry cleaned Lieutenant stood in the doorway, rigid.

"Miss Clyne," he reported, "I have been ordered to relieve you of your present duties."

She smiled. "By whom, Lieutenant?"

"Commander Zala, ma'am." Maybe Athrun had news, she thought. She supplied a haphazard salute and flew past the kid and out the door. She rushed, light-footed yet heavy-minded to Athrun's quarters, knocking loudly at the doors. They breezed open.

"Athrun!" She beamed, embracing him. "Any news?"

His green eyes were sleep-deprived too. His suitcase was lain out open, clothes and uniforms scattered across his bed. Lacus felt guilty, making her issues come first; he probably hadn't even had a hot meal yet. His last mission had been a tricky one, dealing with the chaos on Junius 7. However, this was his best friend in question.

He put his hands in his pockets. Pulled his gaze level with hers.

"They found him." Her vision blackened around the edges. As her legs began to buckle, she saw her ex-fiancée step forward to catch her.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The marketplace bustled and jostled its people around, coulours and smells dancing amongst the sellers and buyers alike. There was dirt everywhere. Clouds of it, kicked up in the rush for a bargain. Kira looked around, put his hands in his pockets. Thought of her, again. What she would be doing if she saw this. She would be running around, lending an ear or a shoulder to everyone and anyone in need of help. His lips pulled up into the bones of a smile. He missed her.

His sandals caught and pulled at rocks in the makeshift road, sand pooling around his toes. He was standing, and breathing. In and out. He was alive. He would make the most of it. He made his way towards the machines and scrap metal pile, leaving his own wake of dust to scatter amongst the crowd.


	4. A day in the life

Hey guys! Its been too long, but a lot of good and bad things have been happening recently, so I haven't had the time. However, in light of one of the good things, I'd like to dedicate this chapter to my boyfriend, Conor.

A review would be much appreciated!

***DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN GUNDAM SEED OR ANY OF THE PRODUCTS ASSOCIATED WITH THE GUNDAM FRANCHISE**

**A day in the life:**

He paused at the gate. He'd love to get his hands on a vintage Harley, heck, even a chunky, no-class military bike would do. Kira let his hands trail over the scrap metal as he made his way to the machine yard. He'd pick up something; give it a go-over, and leave. Look for the Strike Freedom, anything. He couldn't stand to lie around, doing nothing.

A dull thrumming echoed in his ear. His senses tingled; he leapt out of the way moments before a rusty bucket of a bike flew past. He looked up from the dirt as the dust plume behind the travelling bike, pooled around the now stationary machine.

"Oh s***!"

Kira picked himself up and dusted off his jeans, rolling his shoulder back and forth. He looked in the direction of the voice, and was confronted by a whole heap of leather. A man of medium height rushed toward him. He had thick blonde hair fastened in a messy plait and unusual honey coloured eyes. He wore leather pants and over-sized Doc Martens complete with a leather jacket and gloves, which he was currently peeling off.

"Are you okay?" The man looked up at Kira.

"Yeah. Fine. No big deal."

"Are you s***ing me? I almost ran you over!"

"I dodged, give me some credit." The young man rubbed the back of his neck.

"Sorry anyways. At least come back to mine for some food."

"Can I have your name?"

"Ed. Elric."

"Kira." That seemed to be all Ed needed to know. He turned, gathered his gloves and jacket, and headed for the small hut his bike was slumped outside of.

Normally this wouldn't be his thing, intruding in someone's home. But he was famished. And it was hot, plus this strange man (who looked no older than Kira) seemed interesting. He began to follow Ed.

Kira strode. He didn't walk, or shuffle, or any of that. In fact, he didn't walk at all unless he had a destination, so he wasn't at all surprised when he caught up with the young man. But he was shocked when the man not only lead the way by a step or two, but didn't appear to hasten his stride either.

Kira began to like him even more.

They reached the hut. Ed turned to Kira, put his finger to his lips and waved Kira over to beside the door. Ed flattened himself against the wall and pushed Kira back too. He knocked. They heard footsteps. A pretty girl with long blonde hair and cerulean eyes looked out over the piled of scrap. Ed jumped at her. One hand on her back, one under the knees. He swept her off her feet.

"Winry, my love! I missed you!" She looked at him incredulously, then wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. Kira saw him smile into the kiss. He turned away. A riff in his heart was slowly pulling open. Being exposed to the passion and love of others, a giant hole gaped inside of him. He gripped his head. Where was she? I need her. I love her. What am I doing? He stumbled forward a couple of steps, before he heard a woody ***SMACK!*** he turned to see the blonde girl rubbing her knuckles and Ed up against the wall with a weeping eye and a swollen red patch that seemed to fit the size of the girls fist.

"Ed! You're a bloody moron!"

_Lacus P.O.V_

_I floated through the open door, a feeling of complete joy hanging over me. A day out of the house had been all I needed. It was early evening and the delicious smell of twelve-veg soup drifted to me. I removed my shoes and tip-toed to the kitchen. There he stood. His back bowed toward the steaming pot. His brown hair standing out at angles, his right hand coming up to rub his weary eyes. I watched his hand fall to rest on the counter; slightly stirring the cotton of his work shirt._

_The scampering of light feet on the lino had me slinking back into the shadows of the doorway. Sarah (a girl of 6 or 7 staying at the orphanage with us) appeared at the other door. A smile tugged at my lips. This particular little girl had a crush on the cook. A light blush was painted across her cheeks. The young man smiled, kneeling beside the stove top, beckoning her over. I watched his slow, deliberate gestures; warm, loving and tolerant. She approached him nervously._

"_I just wah, wanted to say, thank a lot for l-l-looking after us." With that, she bent her small pig-tailed head over, clenched her tiny hands together and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, before abruptly running from the room. I observed him as a huge, beaming grin covered his face. With renewed vigour, he returned to his dinner._

_I loved him. With all of my heart. But I was afraid. Afraid she was still on his mind, afraid it was too soon. Afraid there had been nothing between us in the first place. He was so…him, though. Irresistible. I smiled at the legitimacy of my thought. His warm musky smell, his broad shoulders, his brown skin and hair, deep violet eyes and heavenly embrace. I peered around the corner for another quick look before I had to make my presence known. Wait, where was he?_

"_Boo."_

_I whirled around, hand to my mouth._

"_Kira!" I exclaimed, half-heartedly swiping at his shoulder and missing._

"_Better improve that hand-eye 'co-ordination', ma'am." He grinned. His cheesy joke was not lost on me. I grinned back. He shifted his weight and rubbed at his neck. I realized I had been staring._

"_I missed you." I said as I leapt at him, pulling him into a tight embrace. I felt his arms over mine, looping snugly around my back. My head fell to rest on his shoulder. He buried his in my hair. I felt his fingers slowly twist a lock of hair over and away from my ear. He leaned in close._

"_I love you, Lacus. You are my world. I, I just love you." I pulled away from him, staring into his eyes. I could see only truth._

"_I love you too. More than anything in the world." His lips pulled up into his signature half smile, which I loved to death, as he pulled me to his lips; to the thunderous applause of a house full of orphans. _


	5. Poached

Hey people! Here's a quick update I wrote during double maths! Not very long, but I may have lost it if I left this any longer some more reviews would help a great deal!

Magus-15IchiGo – thank you for the flattering review! That passage has been my favourite to write so far! Stick around and tell me what you think!

Twillightfairy – thanks so much for the review! I am very interest in the Ed+Winry pairing so decided to include them (I believe he and Kira would get on well ^.^ ) keep reading!

BlitzUltimate09 – hope you're still around and still reading. Thanks

***DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN GUNDAM SEED OR ANY OF THE PRODUCTS ASSOCIATED WITH THE GUNDAM FRANCHISE**

**Poached:**

Her eyelids fluttered open to a burdened sky. Grey and swollen; bruised. She couldn't help but think that it was reflective of her mood. The delicious smell of poached egg wafted through the door. She rolled over, swimming in the sea of luxurious sheets. She half expected to see him walk in, amidst an ocean of children, his smile as radiant as the sun that had neglected to wake her up. So…where was she?

Oh no. Athrun. He'd given her his bed and slept on the lounge. She wasn't the one who had been on a three month mission! She deserved nothing, and yet he was cooking her breakfast too. She leapt up, running from the room, her bare feet pitter-pattering down the stairs. She peered around the door, reminiscing on how she'd done the exact same thing one year ago in a different kitchen.

It was him. Her love, her Kira. Her eyes blinked before releasing silvery tears down her cheeks. Her body lurched forwards, sprinting the short distance to him, wrapping her arms around him.

"I love you Kira!" she rubbed her nose into his shirt. She just, wanted to see his face. She looked up. Her mouth hung open, her arms at her sides.

"I'm…I am so ssorry…"

Athrun stood before her, against the bench, his face holding back the emotion he felt inside. His hands gripped the bench as he looked at her. Dishevelled hair, red puffy eyes and pasty complexion. She tilted her delicate chin downwards, tracing the cracks in the stonework with her eyes as tears jumped from them. He turned slowly, raising the spatula and scraping hesitantly at their meal. He heard the slide of material as Lacus slid to the ground behind him. He reached above his head, retrieving two perfectly cleaned plates from the cupboard there. He laid them next to the stovetop and went about methodically heaping them with food her knew the two of them wouldn't finish.

A hot poached egg, a pile of steaming red onion, crisp sourdough heaped with bruschetta, a small Italian chorizo and a sprig of parsley. A plate in each hand his feet carried him jointedly to the table. Numbly he arranged the food and cutlery, and then turned to face the girl on the floor.

"It's only been two months, Lacus. He's fine."

Her cerulean orbs turned towards him. Logic forced her to nod, but her heart told her otherwise. It was a one-month mission. She reached her arms up, grabbing a hold on the counter she rose shakily and walked to the table. She scraped the chair across the tiles, walking a semi-circle around it to be seated. She was famished. Lacus piled a steaming heap of onion into her mouth, followed closely by a mouthful of hot gooey egg.

His gaze scraped the walls, clawing over the panelled wood. It was met with a forest of prosthetic limbs and appendages. On every available surface lay a piece of machinery or equipment. He shifted his weight from foot to foot, his arms hanging by his sides; he rolled his eyes. The antics of the blonde pair he had recently met were at first amusing but had fast become tiresome.

"Edward, the beef has never been in the bathroom."

"I know _dearest _I had recently informed you I was attending the toilet."

"I asked for the beef."

"Make me."

For two people who were supposed to be In love, this bickering was ridiculous. He turned ever so slightly as he heard footsteps in the dusty room. It was the girl.

"Are you some kind of new-age vegetarian, freak?"

He turned away, a smirk playing on his lips.

"Are you?"

"Trying to be smart?"

"Wouldn't have a chance in this household, it seems."

She breathed slowly out her mouth.

"Ok, well all we got is bully beef. And a few greens."

"I believe anything would taste wondrous right now Ms Elric."

"Ms Elric! Call me Winry you dork!"

He nodded turning back to the wall he hadn't noticed he'd lost eye contact with. He slowly began blocking out everything around him, as he had taught himself to do in the Strike's cockpit. He ceased hearing, seeing, feeling. His thoughts descended. He attempted to find calm, but all he found was a gaping hole. A hole that was the perfect size and shape for his heart. In his mind, he retreated into the blackness, but the hole was everywhere. He was running, but she was following. Her voice calling him, her soft white hands scraping at his back. Her long pink hair flowing through his grasp. He knew that if he stopped, it would come too soon, but running tore the rift open further.

It was almost upon him.

He ran faster, his breath spiking painfully in his throat, his body drenched in sweat; eyes wild. No. He couldn't do this, he would crack. He felt the cold claw on his shoulder. He found himself being pulled after her, tears of frustration and sadness spilling from his eyes.

"Flay! S-stop!" The spirit dragged him ever onwards toward the familiar scene.

The rubble fell in clumps and daggers, sluicing the air around _her. _Her hair framed her face in torn pink curtains, and tears cupped her cheeks. Her face, the face he loved, tired and bloodied. Her hands pressed against the cement on either side of her scratched knees.

"_I love you Kira."_

"No!" He screamed. "Lacus! No!"

He watched, helpless as the star-encrusted spirit handed him his blade. He let out a heart-wrenching sob as he felt himself plunge the steel deep into her flesh. He dropped the weapon, falling to his knees alongside her. He rocked her lifeless body in his arms, until his tears had dried and he began to awaken in reality.


	6. Wish it was you

Another short update, sorry! ^.^

I hope you guys are still reading and enjoying my story! A couple more reviews would be nice! Maybe some suggestions for other stories I could write? Other couples? Thanks guys and enjoy :D (Just Kira this chappie, I'll have a new chapter up, lots of fluff if you desire it!)

***DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN GUNDAM SEED OR ANY OF THE PRODUCTS ASSOCIATED WITH THE GUNDAM FRANCHISE**

**Wish it was you:**

This had to have been the third time he had awoken to find himself in a bed too small and too hot. Dust swirled antagonistically above his face, teaming up with the glaring mid-afternoon sun to succeed in making his day even worse. Tucked into stifling sheets like a helpless baby animal, he was baking himself into an unhealthy state. He threw the blankets off in disgust and sat upright. _Why do people always feel the need to put me on a bed? _He rubbed his eyes trying to recall what happened before he blacked out. Lacus. She was the problem and pleasure in most all of his days. The problem she created for him by subconsciously making him love her and the pleasure of this bitter-sweet falling.

_I had never been fond of the sunlight, but as it enclosed her body in a honey glow, I found it to be more friend then foe. She had abandoned her purple dress for a breezy white one. It curled around her knees and flared lazily around her thighs in the afternoon breeze. Atop her alabaster shoulders, the material caressed her neck and back, wafting in soft waves against her skin. Her lovely cheeks were shaded a delicate petal pink, and her full lips were drawn back to reveal her beautiful smile. Her long pink locks spun in circles with her body, twisting themselves around her fingers; dancing to the tune of her tinkling laugh. Her crystalline eyes shone with unshed tears of joy, her happiness was contagious._

_I felt as if I had fallen in love with her all over again. In the pollen-filled garden by the seaside with my best-friends fiancée._

He screwed his eyes tighter shut. He needed to get back to her. To hold her in his arms, to protect her.

He rose surely from the bed and let his feet shuffle him over the blistering wood. That meal was sounding awful good right now. In the back of his mind he knew that he should find Kaeda and Hisoka and repay them for their kindness. But he couldn't stay with them. He was a terrible influence, to the boy especially.

Kira came to the door and gripped the frame. He looked out of the room. Across the seemingly ever-dusty hallway he saw Edward and Winry curled together on a threadbare couch, like two halves of a whole, laughing at their tangled legs and toes. Ed tenderly caressed her face, a far-off look in his eyes, and Winry strained upwards to kiss him lightly on the nose. Ed smiled warmly down at her. Her face was a perfect mirror. It read 'you are mine and I, yours'.

Before Kira could turn away and escape through a back door or a window or something – he felt Edward's gaze on him.

"Man. You're heavy you know?"

Kira rubbed awkwardly at the back of his neck.

"Huh, yeah. Sorry."

"As long as you're okay, I guess."

Ed stood gently from his position on the lounge, his fingers trailing along Winry's arm and catching on her fingertips. He whispered a single sweet nothing into her ear, and slipped away, earning a girlish giggle. Ed smiled big and earnest at Kira.

"Come on. We left yours in the microwave."

Kira rolled his eyes.


End file.
